US Olympians execute a dive during a training session for the media at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver Aquatic Center in North Bethesda.

Local media and residents had a couple of unique opportunities to see the U.S. Olympic Team–Diving during the four days of training sessions held in the County before the team departed for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Montgomery County Recreation hosted a media-only training session for the team on July 14 at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver Aquatic Center in North Bethesda. Members of the media filmed and interviewed team members during the session.

The following day, the Olympians participated in a special exhibition at the Germantown Indoor Swim Center. In addition to elected officials and residents, the full-house audience included Olympic Champion diver Greg Louganis, who is serving as a mentor to the US team.

Inside word has it that the team was very happy with the facilities here in Montgomery County and that they were accessible and friendly to both Recreation staff, other swimmers and the public, in general, signing autographs and talking with young people.

In the past 60 days, the County has taken two more giant steps to enhance its reputation as a local leader in recycling efforts.

The first step came in May when County Executive Ike Leggett announced establishment of a new, higher recycling goal -- 70 percent of the waste stream being recycled by the end of 2020. The new goal would be one of the highest among jurisdictions in the metropolitan region, as well as other counties across the United States.

The second step came at the end of June when the Executive announced that residents of single-family homes receiving County recycling pick ups can now add PET thermoform plastics to their recycling bins. [See photo.]

PET plastic is used to make items such as cups and rigid packaging. It is a transparent, lightweight, strong, safe, shatterproof and recyclable packaging material commonly used to package fresh fruits and vegetables, bakery items, prepared foods and salads, and deli items.

Both announcements were lauded by The Gazette in a July 11 editorial entitled “Recycling strides.” Adding clamshell containers, the editorial stated, “is the latest milestone in the county’s recycling program which is getting even more ambitious after the county executive raised the goal on how much of the county’s trash…should be recycled by 2020.”

Upholding its reputation as a local leader in recycling efforts, Montgomery County stepped up again when County Executive Ike Leggett announced establishment of a new, higher recycling goal -- 70 percent of the waste stream being recycled by the end of 2020.

The new goal is the first to be established since the original goal of recycling 50 percent of the waste stream was established nearly 20 years ago

In addition to the new recycling rate, Leggett also announced a proposal that Montgomery County adopt the Maryland Recycling Act (MRA) methodology for calculating recycling rates. This means that the Division of Solid Waste Services staff will use the MRA Diversion rate as the official County recycling rate, instead of calculating two separate and different rates each year, as in the past.

The 70% goal would be one of the highest among jurisdictions in the metropolitan region, as well as other counties across the United States. It puts Montgomery County in an elite group of major jurisdictions which have the highest recycling goals in the country. Both Florida and California have recycling rate goals of 75%, while the City of Seattle's recycling rate goal is 70%. Maryland's recycling rate goal is 35% with an additional waste reduction goal of 5%.